Lincon Fire and Rescue crews gathered in a neighborhood near Belford and Grays Peak Drive just before 11:00 Wednesday morning after man working for a plumbing company was trapped when the trench he was in collapsed.
LFR Public Information Officer MJ Lierman says the private contract worker was buried up to his neck in soil and the trench was about 12-15 feet deep. She says the man remained alert and was given oxygen as crews worked for more than two hours to free him.
She says the trench was full of thick, wet clay and crews had to work slowly to get the man out. Battalion Chief Jim Bopp they had to bring in several crews who are trained in technical rescues. They used tools like ropes, small shovels and slabs of wood to help support the trench.
“Simultaneously, we put a paramedic in there to start treating him.” Bopp says the man remained conscious the whole time and was talking to rescue personnel. He says they then began the process of digging the man out. “We had some folks from General Excavating bring in a couple of their trucks that are used to vacuum out holes, Bopp says.”
“Then what we do then is use very small shovels to hand dig around the patient to get the soil loose and the vacuum trucks to move the soil.” He says that saved them from having to go through the very labor- intensive procedure of using buckets to remove the soil.
After more than two hours the man was freed from the trench around 1:40 p.m. and taken to the hospital to be treated. Lincoln Transportation and Utilities also assisted at the scene.
This is a developing story, check back with KLIN for future updates.